Interview with Kris Anderson for AuthorMePro

APKY/AMP: Hello Kris, we’re so glad to have you with us at AuthorMeProfessionals. Thanks so much for this extraordinary book. I read KISSING FROGS with wet eyelashes one minute and belly laughs all the way through. To kick right off, I loved the fact that you dedicated the book to all ladies – the ones still kissing their frogs at the Dating Pond and the ones with their princes already in their arms. The latter should indeed cherish their princes daily, as you advise.

Now, You’re a very successful businesswoman. Yet you had to go through 412 dates in five years to finally kiss the frog who became your Prince Charming? Now that’s labour for a girl, bar the daily ten strokes of the lash… So let’s talk about KISSING FROGS.

APKY/AMP: What gave you the inspiration for the book?

The Knight in Shining armor I was dating loved my stories and encouraged me toWrite them… And wella!

APKY/AMP: A good one right there! I especially appreciated the CROP SHOTS chapter. All these different kinds of men and how women envisage them in their, shall we say perfect Prince Charming résumé. What gave you the inspiration for this particular chapter?

Based on my personal experiences and observations of the dating scene, CROP SHOTS had to be shared with readers. As women, we tend to wear rose colored glasses at times. Pending on our emotions or our level of loneliness, sometimes the frog looks better than he actually is: he truly is a frog or toad. I am hoping the CROP SHOTS chapter injects some brutal truth to the female readers so they are more AWARE!

APKY/AMP: Okay, let’s get to the modern dating game itself. Would you say this is a sort of self-arranged relationship as opposed to some other societies who rely on arrangements done by parents or family members rather than happy hours or Internet dating sites?

I agree that we are self-arranging our relationships. With the advance of technology and internet dating, I really think we approach dating like a job interview. We screen people on their photo and their profiles. One prince I know said it best, " Kris, the real problem women have is that they wait to be pursued. I think women should pursue a man they really think is great." I think there is some wisdom in his remarks. May women choose an "equal or better" mate.

APKY/AMP: Right, even the staunch arrangers-of-marriages – the European royal houses – seem to have given up in the face of defiant Internet heirs! The next thing is, I quite envy your tenacity – 412 dates over five years is no small feat. You’re also good in your book with statistics, as I noticed right from the Introduction chapter. What percentage of single women do you think would be just as tenacious down at the Dating Pond?

I would love to believe that 50% of my fellow female daters would keep trudging through the dating pond after 412 dates, but I would have to guess about 10% would actually be that tenacious. I could twist this as well and say only 10% would be as crazy as I am to keep swinging. I just find the process extremely funny.

APKY/AMP: All right, ladies, you’ve heard Kris. Way to go! Kris, what’s your favourite chapter in the book, and why?

Truly, the Knight in Shining Armor Chapter… After being on 412 dates, meeting a Knight was so much better than meeting a frog… That chapter also tells us that there is HOPE for women dating in the dating pond… You can meet a Knight in Shining Armor. And over time, hopefully the armor will come off and you will have a prince.

APKY/AMP: Well, once the knight is lured to the right place, the armour will simply drop off. J Could you tell us who your biggest writing influences are? How and why do they influence you?

As a child it was Judy Blum… Now I love so many authors: John Gray, John Grisham, Jo Nesbo, Christopher McDougal, James Patterson, Joseph Murphy, EL James, Chelsea Handler, Tina Fey, Wayne Dyer, Mamiko Odegard, Steve Harvey…Each author mentioned nfluences me in different ways. At the end of the day, each author offers different styles and genres but their characters CONNECT with me. Christopher's descriptive style is excellent. James keeps me on the edge of my seat. Joseph, like Wayne, is great at explaining the how to's in developing your subconscious mind. EL took a very submissive subject and has made the bedroom hotter for couples. Chelsea, Tina, and Steve have great comedic timing. Wayne Dyer's message is powerful and has helped me truly believe in the power of intention.

APKY/AMP: I think you have just mentioned a few I’d like to read myself. So what do you plan to write about next? Any plans to venture into fiction?

Interviews with Princesses- Live from the Dating Pond and also Interviews with Frogs-Live from the Lilly Pad. I like the non-fiction side of dating at this point. But, I will never say never to fiction.

APKY/AMP: Wise approach. What did you learn while writing KISSING FROGS?

The only way a woman can meet a prince is to get out of your house and date. You have got to kiss a lot of frogs to know the difference between a horny toad, a frog, a knight in shining armor, or prince.

AND regarding the book writing process:

The writing was not hard for me. It was the learning curve associated with getting the book launched… I felt on some days I needed a brown bag to blow up and pop from the pukey “overwhelming” feeling I had.

APKY/AMP: You have to whisper those secrets to me one of these – help me avoid the brown bag! Have you ever read a book that made you wish you could write just like that author?

Tina Fey - she is just candid, real and funny. I love the vulnerability and self-deprication she brings to her book and to her comedy.

APKY/AMP: Another author I’ve not tried but feel I should grab. Please share with us what you’re going to write about next.

Interviews with Frogs- Live from the Lilly Pad. I want to share what men truly think about Princesses in their dating pond.

APKY/AMP: Okay.Now, could you give us an excerpt of your favourite scene(s)?

Somewhere around Date #236, I found a frog that was worthy of a second date. I had met “Opie” while waiting in line at the post office. We struck up casual conversation in line and Opie asked me out for lunch the same week. Our first date was at a great little sandwich shop. Opie, who resembled the adult version of Andy’s son from “The Andy Griffith Show”, had passed my first date checklist: he had to be kind, unselfish, employed, and I had to have some physical attraction to the guy. Opie seemed well-mannered, backed by the fact he pulled out my chair for me on our first date and (bonus points) he did not lick his fingers after the appetizer was devoured.

He had a full-time job as a designer (I Googled him prior to meeting in person). He shared custody of his two boys with his ex-wife, which warmed me up to the idea that he wouldn’t be a selfish Grinch. He was 6‘5”, which is important to a tall woman like me, and I was attracted to his red hair, nice smile and big, green eyes.

Opie boasted of being an avid hiker. Bonus points again for athleticism. On our first date, he willingly confessed, “Kris, I am a man who wears my heart on my sleeve.” Wow, a man with feelings.

The second date was going to be a hike—a difficult trek in Sedona, Arizona, called Black Bear Trail. Sedona is a two-hour drive from Scottsdale, where I reside. Opie offered to pick me up but, since this was only our second date, I convinced him to meet me at a Safeway parking lot instead. As I arrived at 6:00AM, I noticed his Monster Truck; a white “badass” machine that boasted a rifle rack in the rear window, and hadn’t had a bath for at least two dust storms.

I took in a deep breath and managed to blurt out, “Hello, Opie. Are you all ready for our hike?”

13. APKY/AMP: Thanks for sharing this with us, Kris. All the best for your future endeavours.